Bread Wreath with Cheese and Cranberry Sauce

Method

1. To make the dough. Place the flour in a bowl, rub in the fresh yeast, or dissolve in a little of the tepid water if using dried. Add the salt, oil and the rest of the water and mix to a rough dough. Turn the dough out on to the table and knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, and the gluten developed.
2. Place the dough back into the bowl, cover and leave in a warm place to rest.
3. Meanwhile make the cranberry sauce. Place all the ingredients, apart from the port, into a heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to the boil.
4. After about 10 minutes, the cranberries will begin to ‘pop’. Give the sauce a good stir to mash some of the cranberries, leaving some of them whole to add a little texture.
5. Stir in the port and cook on a medium heat for a further 5 minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken.
6. Remove from the heat, either place in a sterilised jar and keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge, once cooled. Or use straight away.
7. Once the dough has rested for about 45 minutes, divide the dough and shape into rolls about 90g in weight.
8. Remove the cheese from the box and place the empty box onto a lined baking tray.
9. Arrange the rolls around the box, leaving a 1 cm space in between
10. Cover and leave the rolls to have a second prove. When the rolls are touching they will be ready to bake.
11. Preheat the oven to about 220C.
12. Place the cheese into the box and bake in the oven with the bread. For about 15 – 20 minutes until the rolls are golden brown and the cheese is molten.
13. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving with the cranberry sauce.

Variations; you can easily flavour the bread with olives, or pesto. Try sprinkling the tops of the rolls with seeds before baking too. Add herbs, roast some garlic the list is endless!